Hierarchy classification:

1. top of the aat hierarchies
2. Materials Facet
3. Materials (hierarchy name)
4. materials (substances)
5. [materials by function]
6. colorant (material)
7. [colorant for dye and pigment]

Additional parents:

1. top of the aat hierarchies
2. Materials Facet
3. Materials
4. materials
5. materials by function
6. colorant
7. pigments
8. pigment by production method
9. lake

Anotations

Scope note:

A red natural transparent lake colorant that has poor lightfastness and fades in strong sunlight. It is prepared from the bodies of the female scale insect, Dactylopius coccus, native to Mexico, the Canary Islands, and Central and South America. Cochineal dye was used by the Aztec and Maya peoples of Central and North America, adopted by Europeans. The pigments are extracted from the dried bodies of insects using water or alcohol. The substance contains about 10% carminic acid, 2% coccerin wax, and 10% fat: the crimson color of cochineal dye is attributed to cochinealin or carminic acid. Cochineal is also used in medicine as an antispasmodic.